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For those with long COVID-19 symptoms, new research shows that the
virus may have adverse effects on the vagus nerve, causing persistent
voice problems, dizziness and low blood pressure.

But if you’re looking to improve your stress levels and overall
health, you can also naturally strengthen your vagus nerve in other
ways.

Meditation
Turn to this practice to help calm your mind and focus on deep
breathing. While doing meditation, try extending your exhales, making
them longer than your inhales. This will help slow your heart rate.

“Meditation can regulate your autonomic nervous system,” says Dr.
Estemalik. “It has a good effect on lowering rapid breathing, rapid
heart rate and cortisol levels.”

Yoga can also be helpful for the same reasons. Just make sure you pay
attention on your breathing.

Exercise
Working out and getting your body moving can affect your vagus nerve,
research shows. Interval training and endurance training can increase
your vagus nerve activity and improve your heart rate variability.

“Exercise lowers your sympathetic nervous activity and controls your
parasympathetic response so that you have a good balance when it comes
to your cardiovascular and respiratory function,” says Dr. Estemalik.

Massage
Research shows that reflexology (a kind of massage) can increase vagal
tone and even decrease blood pressure.

“Massage can reduce some of the heightened activity in the vagus
nerve,” says Dr. Estemalik.

Try giving yourself a foot massage by rotating your ankle, rubbing
your sole in short strokes and gently stretching your toes back and
forth.

Music
Music can help motivate us, bring us joy and tap into our emotions.
When it comes to the vagus nerve, the research is mixed on how music
affects it.

Your vagus nerve is connected to your vocal cords, the muscles at the
back of your throat and passes through your inner ear.

Try humming or singing or just listening to calm, soothing music.
Those sounds and vibrations may stimulate your vagus nerve.

Cold-water immersion
You may have seen a well-known congressperson recently testing this
idea on Instagram Live by dunking her head in a bowl of ice water to
help destress.

And plenty of professional athletes use cold-water immersion to
improve short-term feelings of relaxation.

Research shows that cold-water immersion may help with stress by
slowing your heart rate and directing blood flow to your brain. Try
placing an ice pack on your face or neck or taking a cold shower.

Benefits of stimulating your vagus nerve
Your vagus nerve affects your mental and physical health in a variety
of ways. By either using VNS or a noninvasive way to stimulate your
vagus nerve, it can help with the following:

Minimize seizures in those with epilepsy.
Treat depression.
Regulate your emotions.
Reduce blood pressure.
Lower your heart rate.
Reduce inflammation.
Treat migraines and cluster headaches.
Your vagus nerve plays a powerful role in your body. Keeping your
vagus nerve strong and balanced can help you respond more effectively
to a variety of emotional and physiological symptoms.

“You want to have balance,” says Dr. Estemalik. “That means you’re
neither having a fast-beating heart nor a slow-beating heart. It’s all
about regulating your cardiovascular and respiratory functions.”